An Autumnal Update...

First off, a big thank you to the numerous people I have had the pleasure to connect with recently via the website and the various OneThinkingMan social media channels. The sheer volume and breadth of talent that exists in this crazy world never fails to leave me stunned and in awe of humankind. Yes, I know the blog’s been a bit dry as of late, my fault entirely; life has just been displaying that ever-present quality of just getting in the way of things. But whilst the blog pages have not been filling, my mind has been constantly spinning, thinking of what’s next and what needs to be written.

A few travel articles are in the pipeline; namely from my time spent in France and Estonia this summer, but I’m also resurrecting memories of a spontaneous drive from Tennessee to Florida to hunt down Tom Petty’s hometown. In parallel to this, I must pay tribute to Alain de Botton’s ‘The Art of Travel’ which I spent reading on a beach in the Cote d’Azur last month. It weaves together the themes of travel and philosophy in stunning, utterly unique fashion. Indeed, each sentence held more power than the sum of many other books combined, and it is this faultlessness and mastery that I will forever be attempting to get somewhere close to in my own work.

On a somewhat unrelated note, those who follow the blog will know of my dedication to mindfulness practice and over the last few months I’ve been lucky enough to contribute to a number of insightful resources on the matter. I’ll list them below as it could serve as a useful resource for those new to the topic and I’ll be bringing further articles on mindfulness, meditation and all things self-growth as we head on rapidly towards winter.

Click here for an article on the mindfulness/travel relationship via the fantastic Everyday Mindful site.Find a most useful and concise introduction to mindfulness hosted by CityCalm here.And finally, for some commentary I provided, along with others in the field, on what mindfulness meant to us all, visit the Medium website here.

And with the thought of an approaching winter on my mind, I’ll sign off with a nod to this period of transition, which coincidentally is in fact probably my favourite of them all. I can never put my finger on it, but as the climate, the light and the air all change, I seem to feel connected to the world and my peers at a greater level than at any other point. Memories rush in of this period in previous years; which city I was in, what was playing in my headphones and where I was in my life. For I revel in life's various cyclical transitions; an oncoming night's sky, morning's first glint of light, the smell of a new season hastily approaching. All precious moments advancing and retreating, just as waves on the sand and the breath on our lips.

Wishing you all massive doses of happiness and the strength to succeed in whatever it is that you are striving for.